Terms & Conditions

TERMS AND CONDITIONS – SCHOOL CONNECT (PTY) LTD
Last updated: 18 November 2025

1. Introduction

1.1 These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the School Connect website at www.school-connect.co.za , the School Connect web portal and mobile applications, and all related products and services (collectively, the “Platform”).

1.2 The Platform is operated by School Connect (Pty) Ltd (“School Connect”, “we”, “us”, “our”), a company incorporated in South Africa, with its principal place of business at 14 Church Street, Durbanville, 7550, South Africa.

1.3 School Connect is a school communication and payment platform designed to help schools engage with parents and manage payments through real-time messaging and a secure digital wallet. The platform is currently free for schools to use, with a small transaction fee applied to payments processed via the Platform.

1.4 By accessing or using the Platform, registering a school, creating a user account or clicking “I accept” (or similar), you:

  • acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms;
  • agree to be bound by these Terms; and
  • where you act on behalf of a school or organisation, confirm that you are duly authorised to bind that school or organisation to these Terms.

1.5 If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

2. Relationship between School Connect, schools, staff, parents and learners

2.1 School Connect provides a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform to schools and educational institutions (“Schools”) and their authorised users, including school administrators, teachers and staff, as well as parents/guardians and learners (collectively, “Users”).

2.2 In most cases:

  • The School is responsible for its own use of the Platform, for the configuration of its instance, and for all content and data that it or its Users upload into the Platform (“School Data”).
  • School Connect provides and maintains the Platform and processes School Data as a service provider.

2.3 For the avoidance of doubt:

  • School Connect is not a party to the enrolment or educational relationship between a School and its learners, nor to employment relationships between Schools and their staff.
  • School Connect is not a party to the underlying educational services agreement between Schools and parents/guardians. Those relationships and obligations remain between the School and the relevant individuals.

2.4 Where School Connect facilitates payments between parents/guardians and Schools through the Platform, School Connect acts as a technology and payment facilitator and not as the payer or payee. The School remains responsible for its own fees, billing policies and any refunds or reversals, subject to any separate Refund & Cancellation Policy published on the Platform.

3. Definitions

In these Terms, unless the context indicates otherwise:

  • “Account” means a registered user account on the Platform.
  • “Content” means any data, text, images, media, documents or other material uploaded or submitted to the Platform.
  • “Learner” means a student whose details are captured on the Platform.
  • “Parent/Guardian” means a parent, guardian or other responsible person linked to a Learner.
  • “POPIA” means the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (South Africa), as amended.
  • “School” means any school or educational institution that registers to use the Platform.
  • “School Data” means all data, including personal information, relating to a School and its Learners, Parents/Guardians and staff that is captured or processed through the Platform.
  • “User” means any person who accesses or uses the Platform, including Schools (via their authorised representatives), teachers, staff, parents/guardians and Learners.

4. Changes to these Terms

4.1 We may update or amend these Terms from time to time to reflect:

  • changes in our services or business;
  • changes in law or regulatory requirements; or
  • improvements in our operational or security practices.

4.2 When we make material changes, we will:

  • post the updated Terms on the Platform; and
  • update the “Last updated” date at the top of this document.

4.3 Continued use of the Platform after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must stop using the Platform.

5. Eligibility, registration and accounts

5.1 School registration

5.1.1 To register a School, you must complete the Create School or equivalent registration form on the website and provide accurate information, including School name, contact details and basic School policies.

5.1.2 By registering a School, you represent and warrant that:

  • you are duly authorised to act on behalf of the School;
  • all information you provide is true, accurate and complete; and
  • you will promptly update the information if it changes.

5.2 User accounts

5.2.1 The Platform may create different user roles (for example: Super Admin, School Admin, Teacher/Staff, Parent/Guardian, Learner) with varying permissions and access levels.

5.2.2 You are responsible for:

  • maintaining the confidentiality and security of your login credentials;
  • ensuring that your account is used only by you and not shared; and
  • all activities that occur under your account.

5.2.3 If you become aware, or suspect, that your account has been compromised, you must notify your School (where applicable) and/or School Connect immediately.

5.3 Age and authority

5.3.1 Parents/Guardians are responsible for the supervision of Learners’ use of the Platform and for any actions taken using Learner accounts.

5.3.2 If you are under the age of 18 and not a Learner whose account has been created by your School or Parent/Guardian, you must obtain the consent of a Parent/Guardian before using the Platform.

6. Nature of the service

6.1 The Platform provides functionality including, but not limited to:

  • student, teacher and staff management;
  • academic and timetable management;
  • attendance, assignments and exams (online and offline);
  • announcements, chat and communication tools;
  • fees, wallets and expense management;
  • staff payroll and leave management;
  • gallery, certificates and ID card generation;
  • website management and administrative dashboards.

6.2 We may add, modify or remove features from time to time. Any such changes will be made in our discretion, but we will endeavour not to materially degrade core functionality without reasonable notice.

6.3 The Platform is provided as a tool to assist Schools. It does not replace:

  • Schools’ statutory obligations;
  • professional educational, financial, legal or medical advice; or
  • Schools’ own policies and procedures.

7. Fees, transaction charges and taxes

7.1 The Platform is currently marketed as free for Schools to use, with a small transaction fee applied to payments processed via the Platform (for example, fee payments, wallet top-ups or other transactions), as described on the website or in pricing pages from time to time.(School Connect)

7.2 Transaction fees may be borne by the School or by Parents/Guardians, as configured by the School and/or specified in the payment screen.

7.3 We reserve the right to:

  • change transaction fee rates;
  • introduce additional paid features or subscriptions; or
  • offer premium packages or add-ons,

subject to reasonable notice on the Platform or via email to affected Schools.

7.4 Unless otherwise stated, all fees are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR) and are exclusive of VAT or other applicable taxes, which will be added where required by law.

7.5 Schools are responsible for any banking charges, intermediary fees or taxes applicable to funds transferred to or from their accounts.

8. Payments, wallets and refunds

8.1 School Connect acts as a technology provider and facilitator of payments between Parents/Guardians and Schools. We may integrate with third-party payment service providers (“Payment Providers”) to process card or electronic payments.

8.2 By initiating a payment on the Platform, you authorise:

  • the relevant Payment Provider to charge your selected payment method; and
  • School Connect and the Payment Provider to share such information as is reasonably necessary to process the transaction and comply with legal obligations.

8.3 School Connect does not normally store full card numbers or CVV codes. These are handled by the Payment Providers in line with their own security standards.

8.4 Where the Platform includes a digital wallet:

  • wallet balances and transactions are recorded in the Platform for the relevant User and School;
  • wallet balances do not constitute a bank deposit or interest-bearing account;
  • School Connect is not a bank or financial institution and does not provide financial services regulated as such under South African law;
  • funds may be pooled and settled to the School or its designated account according to our arrangements with the School and Payment Providers.

8.5 Any disputes relating to:

  • the amount or nature of school fees;
  • refunds of school fees or other charges; or
  • reversals or chargebacks,

are between the Parent/Guardian and the School. School Connect will, where possible, assist in providing transaction records but is not responsible for the underlying dispute.

8.6 Refunds and cancellations for payments made via the Platform are governed by:

  • the School’s own policies and agreements with Parents/Guardians; and
  • any Refund & Cancellation Policy published on the Platform, which is incorporated by reference into these Terms.

9. Acceptable use and prohibited conduct

9.1 You agree to use the Platform only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms and any applicable School policies.

9.2 You must not:

a. use the Platform in any way that violates any applicable law or regulation (including child protection, privacy, intellectual property and anti-discrimination laws);
b. upload, transmit or store any Content that is unlawful, harmful, defamatory, threatening, abusive, harassing, hateful, discriminatory, obscene or otherwise objectionable;
c. upload or transmit any viruses, malware, malicious code or other harmful components;
d. attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform, accounts or systems;
e. interfere with or disrupt the operation of the Platform or the servers or networks used to make it available;
f. use automated tools (such as bots, crawlers or scrapers) to access or use the Platform in a manner that could impair performance or security;
g. misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person or organisation;
h. use the Platform to send spam or unsolicited communications not permitted by the School’s policies or applicable law;
i. use the Platform to collect or process personal information in violation of POPIA or the School’s obligations to Learners, Parents/Guardians and staff;
j. reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise attempt to derive the source code of any part of the Platform, except to the extent permitted by law.

9.3 We reserve the right (but have no obligation) to monitor use of the Platform and to remove or restrict access to any Content we reasonably believe violates these Terms or applicable law.

10. Content, School Data and intellectual property

10.1 Ownership of the Platform

10.1.1 The Platform, including all software, user interfaces, graphics, trademarks, logos, content and documentation, is owned by School Connect or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark and other intellectual property laws.

10.1.2 Except as expressly stated in these Terms, no rights or licences are granted to you in respect of the Platform.

10.2 Licence to use the Platform

10.2.1 Subject to these Terms and any applicable agreement with your School, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Platform for the School’s internal educational and administrative purposes.

10.2.2 You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display or otherwise exploit the Platform or any part thereof, except as permitted by these Terms or applicable law.

10.3 School Data and user-generated content

10.3.1 As between School Connect and the School, the School retains ownership of School Data.

10.3.2 By submitting or uploading School Data or other Content to the Platform, the School (and, where applicable, the User) grants School Connect a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to:

  • host, store, process, transmit, display and back up such data; and
  • use aggregated or de-identified forms of such data to improve and develop our services, analytics and reporting, provided that no individual is identified in such aggregated or de-identified data.

10.3.3 The School is responsible for:

  • ensuring it has all necessary rights and consents to upload and use School Data in the Platform;
  • the accuracy, quality and legality of School Data; and
  • ensuring that School Data does not infringe the rights of any third party.

10.3.4 We may remove or disable access to any Content that we reasonably believe breaches these Terms or applicable law.

11. Privacy, data protection and POPIA

11.1 The collection and processing of personal information through the Platform is governed by our Privacy Policy and any role-specific privacy notices (for Teachers & Staff and Parents & Learners), which are incorporated by reference into these Terms.

11.2 In many cases, the School is the “Responsible Party” under POPIA for personal information relating to Learners, Parents/Guardians and staff, and School Connect acts as an “Operator” processing information on the School’s instructions.

11.3 Schools are responsible for:

  • notifying Data Subjects (including Learners, Parents/Guardians and staff) of how their personal information will be processed;
  • obtaining any required consents from Parents/Guardians or “competent persons” for processing children’s personal information;
  • ensuring their use of the Platform complies with POPIA and any other applicable privacy and education laws.

11.4 School Connect will:

  • implement appropriate security safeguards to protect personal information as required by POPIA;
  • process personal information only for the purposes described in our Privacy Policy and as instructed by the School;
  • notify the School of any security compromise involving School Data where required by POPIA.

11.5 By using the Platform, you also agree to our Privacy Policy and understand that it forms part of these Terms.

12. Availability, maintenance and support

12.1 We endeavour to keep the Platform available and functioning efficiently, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation.

12.2 The Platform may be temporarily unavailable due to:

  • scheduled maintenance or updates;
  • unscheduled outages, network failures or technical issues;
  • events beyond our reasonable control (including force majeure events).

12.3 We will make reasonable efforts to:

  • notify Users of scheduled maintenance; and
  • restore services promptly in case of an outage.

12.4 Support is provided through channels described on the website or in documentation. Support response times may vary depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

13. Suspension and termination

13.1 We may suspend or terminate access to the Platform for any User or School, in whole or in part, if:

  • we reasonably believe there has been a serious or repeated breach of these Terms or applicable law;
  • use of the Platform creates a security risk or may harm other Users, School Connect or third parties;
  • there is fraud, misuse or suspected illegal activity;
  • required by law or by a competent authority; or
  • a School consistently fails to pay agreed transaction fees or other amounts due, where applicable.

13.2 Schools may terminate their use of the Platform at any time by providing notice in accordance with any separate agreement with School Connect, or as otherwise permitted by the Platform.

13.3 Upon termination:

  • the School’s and its Users’ access to the Platform may be disabled;
  • we may, subject to our Privacy Policy, retain, archive or delete School Data in accordance with applicable law and our data retention practices;
  • Schools may request a copy or export of certain School Data, subject to feasibility and any applicable charges, within a reasonable period before final deletion.

13.4 Termination will not affect any accrued rights, obligations or liabilities of either party at the date of termination.

14. Warranties and disclaimers

14.1 The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

14.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, School Connect:

  • disclaims all express or implied warranties, representations and conditions, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement and title;
  • does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure or free from harmful components;
  • does not warrant that the Platform will meet every specific requirement or expectation of any School, Parent/Guardian, Learner or staff member.

14.3 Schools are responsible for:

  • verifying the accuracy of data entered into the Platform;
  • maintaining appropriate backup copies of critical documents and records outside of the Platform;
  • using the Platform as one tool among others to manage their operations, not as the sole system of record where the law requires additional measures.

14.4 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any warranty or liability that cannot be excluded or limited under South African law.

15. Limitation of liability

15.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, School Connect and its directors, employees, contractors and agents will not be liable for any:

  • indirect, consequential, special, incidental or punitive damages;
  • loss of profits, revenue, savings or business opportunities;
  • loss or corruption of data;
  • loss of goodwill or reputation;
  • business interruption,

arising out of or in connection with the use of, or inability to use, the Platform, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

15.2 Subject to clause 15.3, and to the extent permitted by law, School Connect’s aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or relating to these Terms and the use of the Platform (whether in contract, delict, statute or otherwise) will be limited to the total transaction fees actually paid to School Connect by the relevant School in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. If the Platform is used without payment of any fees (for example, during periods of completely free use), our total liability will not exceed R10,000 (ten thousand Rand).

15.3 Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for:

  • death or personal injury caused by our gross negligence;
  • fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
  • any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

16. Indemnity

16.1 To the extent permitted by law, each School agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless School Connect and its directors, employees and agents from and against any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to:

  • the School’s or its Users’ breach of these Terms or applicable law;
  • School Data or other Content uploaded by the School or its Users (including any allegation that such Content infringes third-party rights or violates privacy laws);
  • the School’s failure to comply with POPIA or to obtain necessary consents from Data Subjects;
  • any dispute between the School and its Learners, Parents/Guardians, staff or third parties relating to the School’s services, fees, policies or conduct.

16.2 Parents/Guardians and Users also agree to indemnify School Connect for any losses or damages arising from their own misuse of the Platform or breach of these Terms.

17. Third-party services

17.1 The Platform may include links to third-party websites or services (such as app stores, Payment Providers, SMS or email gateways). These third parties are not under our control and have their own terms and privacy policies.

17.2 We are not responsible for:

  • the availability, accuracy or content of third-party sites or services;
  • any losses or damages arising from your use of such third-party services.

17.3 Your use of third-party services is at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of those third parties.

18. Governing law and jurisdiction

18.1 These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without giving effect to conflict-of-law principles.

18.2 Subject to any mandatory dispute resolution requirements under South African law, you agree that the courts of the Western Cape, South Africa shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform.

19. Notices and contact details

19.1 Legal notices and communications to School Connect regarding these Terms should be sent to:

School Connect (Pty) Ltd
14 Church Street, Durbanville, 7550, South Africa
Email: info@school-connect.co.za(School Connect)

19.2 We may provide notices to Schools and Users by:

  • email to the email address associated with the relevant Account;
  • notices displayed on the Platform; or
  • other reasonable electronic means.

Notices will be deemed received when sent or posted, unless proved otherwise.

20. General

20.1 Entire agreement
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other policies or agreements expressly incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and School Connect regarding your use of the Platform.

20.2 No waiver
Any failure by us to enforce a right or provision under these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

20.3 Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

20.4 Assignment
You may not assign, transfer or sub-license your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign or transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to an affiliate or in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring or sale of assets.

20.5 Relationship
Nothing in these Terms creates any partnership, joint venture, employment or agency relationship between you and School Connect. Schools and Users remain independent from School Connect.

20.6 Interpretation
Headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation. Words importing the singular include the plural and vice versa.

21. Questions or concerns

If you have any questions about these Terms or your use of the Platform, please contact us at info@school-connect.co.za or use the contact details provided on the website.